Corn Snake Cages
Corn snakes are one of the best snakes for beginners to keep. They are very forgiving with mistakes that inexperienced herpers tend to make. They are also very tame and rarely bite. I have a snow corn snake named Fluffy and she is definitely the easiest snake in my collection. She never has a problem with feeding, shedding, or being aggressive.
Corn snake cages should be very small when the snakes are young. They will be less stressed in a smaller cage so don’t get a huge cage for a neonate. Many people use small plastic shoe boxes for corn snake cages while they are young. Just drill holes in the side for ventilation. These are great if you have a rack system because you can set up a lot of snake cages in a small unit.
You can also use 10 gallon aquariums for corn snake cages. They will be able to live in a 10 gallon for about a year or so before having to upgrade to a larger cage.
The minimum size for adult corn snake cages is the 20 gallon long aquarium, which is about 30” long by 12” deep. Corn snakes will grow to about 4’ – 5’ and you want to give them a little room to roam. Bigger is always better. My corn snake cage is about 36” long by 18” deep and I think it’s an ideal size for an adult corn snake.
You may think about putting some kind of branches and things in your corn snake cages. Corn snake are terrestrial, but they do enjoy climbing as well. Not to mention it adds a more natural look to your corn snake cages.
The best substrates for your corn snake cages are something they can burrow in. Aspen shavings are the best for young corn snakes. They can make little tunnels in it and hide and feel secure. I use cypress mulch for my adult corn snake and that works very well too.
Heating your corn snake cages with an under tank heater is the best bet in my opinion. They need a basking spot of about 85 to 90 degrees and under tank heaters will provide this easily. The rest of the enclosure can be basically the temperature you keep your house, 70 – 80 degrees. No less than 70.
Always provide hides in your corn snake cages. One on the warm side of the cage and one on the cool side.
Corn snakes are masters at escaping. If there is a way out of your corn snake cages, they will find it. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. And that when is usually very soon. I have a sliding glass front on my corn snake cage and when Fluffy was younger, she was able to squeeze between the two doors and she escaped on me twice. I’m very lucky I found her. Once they escape, most people never find them again. So make sure your corn snake cages are very secure.
So if you have or are thinking of getting a corn snake, I hope this gives you an idea of what you should be looking for when purchasing corn snake cages.
Kewl Snake Cage Room
I found this guy’s video on youtube and just thought you might like it. He’s got two rooms set up for his reptiles. One has a rain forest theme and one has a desert theme. His snake cages are all in the rain forest room. The neat part about this room is the pond he has set up with plants around it and chinese water dragons running loose.
Very cool set up he has. I’d really like to do something like this some day when I get a bigger house. Anyway, here’s the video.
No Sand in the Snake Cages
Unless you have a snake that originates from a sandy, desert environment, like a Kenyan Sand Boa, then sand is a terrible substrate for your snake cages. Most common snakes in the pet trade come from forest type environments and are not suited to live in a sandy environment.
The sand can get into their nostrils and in between the scales, causing all sorts of health problems.
Better alternatives for your snake cages are aspen bedding, coco bedding and cypress mulch. These substrates will give your snake cages a more natural look and your snakes will love them. Happy herping!
Top 5 Substrates for Snake Cages
You’ve gotta have a substrate for your snake cages. Substrates are the materials used to cover the bottom of your snake cages and they serve multiple purposes. They give the snakes something to crawl around on/in, they absorb the mess when the snakes do their business, and some substrates add a more natural look to your snake cages. This is a quick run down of the 5 best and most popular substrates for snake cages.
- Newspaper – The cheapest and easiest to maintain of all substrates is newspaper. Great choice for large snakes who don’t burrow. Just replace when soiled.
- Indoor/Outdoor Carpet – Still easy to maintain, but a little more attractive than newspaper. Cut it to fit the snake cages, and cut a second one to replace it with when soiled. That way you don’t have to wait for the soiled piece to be washed and dried before putting the new piece back in the snake cage.
- Aspen Bedding – One of the most popular substrates for snake cages is aspen shavings. It’s perfect for small snakes who like to burrow. Not so great for large snakes since the small particles can get in between their belly scales and cause irritation. Also not good for high humidity snake cages since it tends to mold quickly when wet. Use this instead of pine or cedar shavings which are toxic to reptiles.
- Cypress Mulch – This is a great substrate for large snakes. It adds a natural look to your snake cages and it’s mold resistant, making it perfect for snakes that require higher humidity. The other bonus is that it’s cheap. You can get it from your local garden center for about $2 a bag. Just bake it in the oven for at least 30 minutes at 250 degrees before putting it into your snake cages to kill off any little bugs.
- Coco Bedding – Made out of coconut fibers, this is also another substrate that adds a natural look to your snake cages. It comes in bricks that need to be soaked in water to make it expand, then dried out. It’s also mold resistant so it’s great for high humidity snake cages.
Depending on what snakes you keep or plan on keeping, one of these 5 substrates will be a great choice for your snake cages. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment below. Happy herping!
Avoiding The Nasty Feeding Bite
A common subject of debate among herpers is whether or not to feed snakes inside their enclosures. Some say that feeding in the snake cages can cause the snake to associate opening of the cages with feeding time. For this reason, may people set up a feeding cage. This can be another cage, or a plastic storage container with holes drilled in the side.
By feeding in another enclosure, you can reduce the possibility of getting bitten by a snake that goes into that feeding frenzy when he knows food may be coming. You sort of “train” them that they only get food when they are in the feeding enclosure.
I feed all my snakes in a separate feeding enclosure except for one. My Western Hognose is a skittish little thing and she won’t eat if she gets moved to another container.
Many people who do feed inside the snake cages use other methods to train the snake to prevent bites. A common method is to use a snake hook and give a gentle tap on the head to let the snake know that you are going to pick it up, not dangle a freshly thawed rat in front of him. Many people have been very successful with this method. Happy herping!
Related Links
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Corn Snake Care - Tips for Feeding Your Corn Snake - If your snake refuses meals consistently, and you’ve checked everything listed above, it’s probably time to call a vet for help. I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the corn snake feeding process. If you found this article helpful, …
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snake feeding at heard museum - Reagan was too tired to come. Jackson liked all the rattlesnakes. here is Jackson watching a snake swallow a mouse. Posted by ShoZu.
Heating Your Snake Cages
One of the most difficult, and important, aspects of setting up a snake cage is temperature. Snakes are cold blooded which means their body temperature is the same as the surrounding area. For this reason, it’s very important that you provide options for the snake so it can choose how warm it needs to be.
First and foremost: DO NOT USE HEAT ROCKS! I don’t know why they even sell those things anymore. They are well known for cooking snakes. Don’t use them!
The best way to provide heat in your snake cages is with Under Tank Heaters (UTH). These are heat pads that stick to the bottom of snake cages and warm the floor of the tank from underneath. This is great because it provides belly heat, which snakes really dig. They can be plugged into a dimmer switch so you can precisely control the exact temperature. Make sure you only cover about a third of the floor surface so the snake can get away if it wants to cool down.
Snake cages can also be heated with light fixtures. These can be regular incandescent bulbs or special UV bulbs. You can even get ceramic heat emitters which give off heat but no light. Light fixtures are good for raising the temperature of the entire snake cage and don’t provide a good temperature gradient, so they usually aren’t used by themselves. Some snakes are happy at the same temperature you keep your home at, others like it a little warmer, which is where light fixtures are useful. Just make sure they get turned off at night. Use timers. They rock! And please make sure your snake can’t touch the bulb. As if I need to say it.
A must have for maintaining the proper temperatures in your snake cages is a thermometer. You can use the digital infrared thermometers, which are great, or a digital thermometer with probe to measure the hot spot and ambient temperature at the same time. I use both.
Every snake species is different so please find out exactly what temperatures your snake needs. I hope this post gives you a better understanding of how to provide the proper heating for your snake cages. Happy herping!
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Corn Snake Cage questions? - Perhaps your snake stays near the water bowl as it may be a tad too cold. People will give you different temperatures to set your thermostat, but this advice is limited unless considering the outside (of the cage) temperature, …
Welcome to Snake Cages
Since I got into the snakes and reptiles hobby, I found that owning and caring for a snake is only part of the equation. The most important part is the enclosure. In fact, with most of my reptiles, I spend a lot more money on the enclosure than I do the actual animal.
It doesn’t have to be that way of course. Snake cages can be anything from a $3 plastic storage bin to a very expensive custom enclosure. As long as the snake’s needs are met properly and the enclosure is secure, it’s personal preference.
So the purpose of this blog is to discuss every aspect of snake cages. I’ll be giving tips on everything from how to build different types of snake cages, where to purchase existing cages, cage accessories, and whatever else I feel like discussing. It’s my blog right? Maybe I’ll talk fishing from time to time, or the latest crochet techniques. Who knows? But for the most part, I’ll try to stay on topic and discuss snake cages.
That’s what you came here for isn’t it?
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